Globally, chemicals companies’ growth will beless and less nurtured by breakthrough productinnovation. M&A is becoming an alternative tofill this gap. This global phenomenon coincideswith diminishing availability of local feedstockin the MEA/GCC and a melting advantage of it,compared to other regions. Margins are also underpressure from lower prices due to lower oil prices.These challenges trigger MEA/GCC players torethink their global competitiveness and futurestrategic positioning. Analyses along dedicatedbusiness models can help find the right directions.The respective measures will ultimately makethem better companies reaching a next level ofprofessionalism and globalization. We alreadyobserve a convergence of the global chemicalsindustry, where competitiveness is now a matterof mastering a larger number of disciplines ratherthan only a few.